Speakeasy Series

What is the Speakeasy Series?

Speakeasy is an event series that facilitates community-building with thought provoking discussion among students, staff and community across the arts, humanities, business, science and engineering in order to foster discovery, creativity and innovation. Enjoy provocative discussion, jazz, and art in the beautiful Taylor Institute building. Expand your mind and your connections, share ideas and discover new perspectives.

Explore how to transform difficult conversations into productive discussions to address global challenges.

Speakeasy: Podcast Episode 3

Our Guest Speakers

Robert Thirsk

Chancellor, and former Canadian astronaut Dr. Robert Thirsk (O.C., O.B.C.) holds the Canadian record for the longest time spent in space, at 204 days, 18 hours. His worldly experience and his time aboard the International Space Station lands an interesting perspective on challenging conversations necessary to promote positive change in our world.

Lourdes Juan

Lourdes is a University of Calgary Graduate, an entrepreneur, innovator, and the founder of the Leftovers Foundation. Her team of 200 volunteers ‘rescues’ 4000 pounds of excess food waste per week in Calgary and Edmonton. Perishable, and edible food that would have been thrown to the trash gets redistributed to 32 service agencies that provide food to people in need.

Maribeth Murray

Dr. Maribeth Murray is the director of the Arctic Institute of North America (AINA), University of Calgary. Her research activities address the impacts of environmental change on northern human and marine systems and sustainable northern development. She has to address sustainability and human impact on the northern environment by having difficult conversations with the community.

Sagar Grewal

Sagar is an incoming president of the Student Union at the University of Calgary, a researcher in biomechanics and student in Kinesiology. Sagar was a student in UNIV 201 and 203: Global Challenges Inquiry I & II, a course in which students develop an innovation project to address the complex global issue of feeding nine billion people by 2050.